Brentford kick off their Carabao Cup campaign away at Birmingham City on Tuesday, looking to build on back-to-back quarter-final runs in the past two seasons.
Keith Andrews believes Brentford are primed for a genuine tilt at the domestic cups this season. All eyes now turn to Tuesday night and a tricky Carabao Cup tie at Birmingham City.
Saturday’s emphatic 3-0 win over Tottenham still lingers, but there’s little time to dwell. Brentford now head to St Andrew’s, entering the Carabao Cup at the second round.
The quick turnaround means Andrews will almost certainly rotate his squad. Even so, the depth now at his disposal ensures Brentford’s ambitions in the competition are as strong as ever.
It’s the first time Keith Andrews has had this kind of luxury. Brentford have brought in Jannik Schuster, Callum Wilson, Jaidon Anthony and Mamadou Sangaré, but crucially, they’ve kept the core of last year’s ninth-placed side together. For Andrews, it means he can rotate without relying on fringe players just to fill gaps.
“We feel like we are in a good place to attack the domestic competitions,” Andrews said ahead of the game.
“They’ve been on a very good journey with promotion and stabilisation. I’ve been to St Andrew’s on many occasions, and it will be a tough place to go.”
After back-to-back quarter-final appearances, Brentford now have the chance to show what their summer signings can really bring to the Bees’ season.
Recent cup runs have proved Brentford can go deep, but Wembley has remained just out of reach. With Andrews now speaking openly about chasing something special, the domestic cups offer another path, alongside the league, to making that happen.
Brentford Depth Gives Andrews Options
Saturday’s win at the Gtech Community Stadium offered an early glimpse of just how many options Brentford now have at their disposal.
Mamadou Sangaré impressed on his Premier League debut against Tottenham, while Andrews had the luxury of a bench filled with established first-teamers at his disposal, with no major drop in quality.
After that win, the head coach described Brentford’s squad depth as the best he’s seen during his time at the club.
Tuesday night will put that to the test.
With another Premier League trip to Leeds United looming on Sunday, there may not be the need to risk the exact same starting eleven just three days after Tottenham.
That opens the door for those left out at the weekend to stake their claim for a bigger role.
Keane Lewis-Potter is one player Andrews believes has already benefited from settling into a more defined position.
“Keane is in a really good place and he’s playing really well,” Andrews said.
“He’s really focused and tuned in to his positional change. It doesn’t mean he can’t play in other positions but he’s really taken on board the final details of this role.”
Competition for places has ramped up after Brentford’s summer business, and the cup gives Andrews a chance to hand out meaningful minutes, rather than just rotating for the sake of it.
